The Employment Agency Strategy

Posted: 02.12.2016

One of the overlooked strategies that I find candidates of all ages (especially Entry Level) and backgrounds ignoring are employment agencies as part of their employment marketing strategy. This is an overlooked option for a few major reasons: I hear candidates say I have no experience or I can’t afford to pay someone to help me find a job or in the case of temporary firms…I often hear the “well I am only interested in a full time position.”

Let me stress this that in the 21st century agencies have to be a part of your employment strategy. The industry has changed into a multibillion dollar truly global enterprise and the little employment agency down the street at the local strip mall or store front is not your grandparent’s employment agency.

Twenty five years ago there were three distinct categories: Retained Search, Contingent (direct fulltime employment) and Temporary. Since then the Contingent and Temporary business are now done under the same roof in many cases. The Retained Search firms have remained the option of truly “Executive Level” or very specific skill set requirements that a company is seeking (as a new grad or intern you have a long way to go for this one). Another thing that has occurred over the last two decades is that the Temporary providers who had traditionally provided light industrial (laborers) and administrative personnel (secretaries, clerks etc.) began to acquire/start professional services options. Today they provide every skill set and experience level from the mail room to the board room. We now see requirements for temporary CFO’s, doctors, lawyers, nurses and everything in between. This development is not going away. Why…because companies like it.

Companies love this arrangement for a number of reasons: One stop shopping for talent, project based hiring directly related to economic demand and of course the one that they do not talk about a lot…..the temp to perm option which takes what was a 45 minute interview and hiring decision to a 6 month to 2 year interview, while you are working.

This has helped to make the top temporary services companies’ multibillion dollar global concerns providing employment solutions in every discipline, country and circumstance that one can think of. Companies are now awarding these firms National and Global contracts to provide for all of their temporary needs. When we refer to the “jobs not posted” on a companies web site 98% of those are the temporary slots posted on the agencies’ website or that the agency is searching for at the request of their client company. And by the way the little “Mom & Pop” firm down the street is sub contracted to the big boys to help find people in your neighborhood.

What does this mean to the new college grad or undergraduate intern? For the new grad it is often the fastest way into the company of your choice. Why? Because the process is streamlined, the relationships that the agency has with the employer have been built up over time and the right recruiter can make things happen for you that you could not do on the outside. It is free; there is no charge to you for the service. Most of the firms offer some sort of healthcare package with a long term deal. It is a good way to get experience in a hurry and you get to check them out without a full time commitment as they are looking at you. The Intern may find that this is the way many small to mid-size firms “payroll” their interns. Also, many times in these firms the requirements come up at times that do not correspond with traditional college recruiting and graduation cycles. Case in point - a few years ago, I and my team had to respond to a requirement for 30 new grads in the late July early August time frame, we had to identify, interview, hire and onboard them in forty five days from scratch. We had trouble getting Campus Career services people on the phone and often when we did they had no idea who was still available and how to get a hold of them.

How do I take advantage of this?

My first recommendation is to get out there and register with a number of temporary firms. My second is to get an experienced Career Coach to work with you on building your employment marketing plan, review your resume, develop your pitch, help create your online brand and hold your hand through the process. Get your parents to invest a little more in you by buying some of the packages offered through My First Real Job membership. Note: we offer a lot of free stuff that you can do right now on your own. So go a head post your resume, create your profile, search for jobs through our job search portal and join the chat room all at no cost to you.